nitehawk

Check out Kings Campers in Wausau, Wisconsin. They have been rated in the top five of Tiffin dealers for years for service and sales. They carry a number of Tiffin coaches in stock and have an excellent service department. I purchased a used (slightly) 1989 Foretravel coach from them almost four years ago and still get good service from them. A class act all the way!!

Wayne, my ramps come apart. I have a 3/8 bolt sticking down into the 2"x10" below. That way I can carry the entire ramp or just part of it. Also lets me change height depending on slope. Jack pads are (2)pc 1/2" plywood with 3/8" holes in corners to facilitate placement and removal with my awning rod. (Bet you would only have one pic of me--cameras shudder and malfunction when taking my pic!!)

I apologize for the comment about kidding. I am a bit surprised that there would be a Quality 34' coach that sleeps eight and could safely tow anything that weighed almost half the weight of the coach for the price you indicated. Most coaches with the capacities you want are longer, as you noted in your last post. Also, many newer models with slides can(I say CAN) be a bit crowded with the slides in with eight people aboard. 10,000# towing capacity is a bit different from towing safely and comfortably. I honestly hope you find a coach that fits your parameters. Stay on this website, check out www.nationalmultilist.com/ for a lot of coaches. I, personally, would recommend looking for a decently priced, well-cared for 36' coach and you might have a lot more choices to choose from that would meet your requirements. I don't know where you are located but try Motorhomes of Texas and Foretravel motorhomes websites. Usually a good selection to choose from.

You are kidding, right? Most of the "well-built" coaches that can tow 7500# are diesel pushers, come with higher displacement engines and are almost always longer than 34'. Lower horsepower usually relates/comes with shorter coaches as the coach weighs less than a 40 foot coach thus needs less horsepower to move. Also, sleeping arrangements become more complex the shorter the coach due to the lesser space for everything. $25,000 for one of the "well-built" coaches with the features you want would be an awesome find and I'll bet there would be a lot of folks standing in line if there is such a coach. Good Luck in your search. Please let us know what you find.

We went the Virgin Mobile route. Cheap, simple to setup. Bought the Virgin Mobile USB "Stick" at Walmart for $34 and a $50 aircard. We then released what we thought was enough time for a month from the $50 account. The DW found the Virgin Mobile system quite acceptable for the amount of time we used the internet. It worked out so well that several others in the RV resort went the same route.

We rescued Rocket from a shelter when he was about six months old. He is now 11. We knew we were going to be camping a lot and he would have to go with us so a harness and leash were essential. Training started with him wearing the harness whenever he was allowed out in the back yard (6' high fencing) with one of us present near him. After awhile we put a leash on him. The secret to leash training is to initially let him wander and then after awhile gently "guide" him in the direction you want him to go. Steady pulling brings out the bullhead in him and he put on the brakes. Now a gentle tug and then slack lets him know that it is time to move along. Litter box is under the table and gets cleaned after his daily "chore". He is pretty consistent with his schedule so cleaning is not an issue. Traveling he lies on the floor between us. Whenever we stop for ANY length of time he wants to get out and smell the flowers. Even for a long traffic stop!! If he gets out here at home he will go and lie next to the coach steps, just so we don't forget him!!

Rocket, our 11 year old domestic shorthair loves to go camping. He usually lies on the coach floor next to my seat while I am driving. When we get to a CG he insists on us taking him for a walk every evening. He wears a harness and does not mind having a long light weight leash. Just let's go!! (and HE must lead!!) He really enjoys camping and will stand by his harness to tell us he wants out. If the door is open he just stands there and waits for one of us to put his "clothes" on him. He is also extremely vocal and is, or seems to be, talking to us all the time. Sometimes drives us nuts!!

A new one?

Hey Wayne!! How did you get a pic of my ramps??

OK, back to the concern of the original post--hard starting after X amount of time and on an incline. Might a new fuel pump be due? or a booster pump?

And if the jacks fail and are damaged you will have another problem, possibly much more expensive than just hard starting. Another thing that can occur is that after rolling until the coach stops, your Trans parking pawl, being in Park, can be jammed enough that you can't get it out of park without relieving the torque put on the drive train by the wheels.

What does make a difference is if the rear of your coach is lower and you try to level the coach. You do NOT want to lift the rear wheels off the ground with your leveling jacks!!! Your parking brake /rear wheels are what keeps the coach from rolling!!!

The valve extensions that were on our coach when we bought the coach cost us over $650.00!! The extensions were addons to the existing inside reqar valve stems. The added weight was enough to fatigue and crack the regular valve stems where the thread ends. Road service: $90. New tire, valve stem, and removal and replacement in our driveway: over $560.00 We now have one piece, longer valve stems on the inside duals, a long straight air chuck and air gage to reach in. STAY AWAY FROM ADDING AN "EXTENSION"....One piece supported longer valve stems are OK.

We just switched from Geico to Overland Insurance Services and now have better coverage than Geico for about half the price!! We moved our toad insurance to same as our pickup so we would qualify for Motorhome RV insurance. Agent was very helpful and informative. We wanted to have him supply our auto insurance, but he felt it best that we "shop around" here in our home state.

I believe Foretravel in Nacogdoches, Texas has a driver training course--in one of their coaches, along with sales of new and used coaches. For quality, workmanship, safety features and service they rank right up amongst the top five.

Ford neutral tow switch for your 2002 Explorer is Ford Pt# 3L2Z7H332AA and, three years ago, was available from Ford parts dept for $25 with installation costing $100. Now, $285 for switch and $85 for installation???? Welcome to The world of supply and demand!!

Go to Radio Shack and get a bulkhead coax fitting. As an aside: we once accidentally left the pass/fr side window open about 1" overnite while boondocking in Michigan. Our cat had a blast for about 12 hours looking for that "flying mouse" until the DW discovered it. Never knew she could move that fast!!

Here in Wisconsin--high of -6 degrees. The rattling you here up here isn't from snakes. It's the dentures in the glass in the bathroom!

I saw six monkeys with crescent wrenches heading for the steel bridge two blocks away today. It is that cold!!

I shudder when I think of all the Cummins main bearing caps we shipped out of the Navistar facility in Waukesha that had chips and burrs. Would it be even remotely possible some of these same chips and burrs could end up in a crankcase?

Lee, I well understood you were referring to diesels. But, thermal expansion and contraction applies to any engine. The oil change after initial break in is critical to removing the small fine metal particles created by the initial wear in of the engine. I had never even considered how to break in a new engine until I asked an old mechanic at a Cadillac dealership. He told me how and I have used it ever since 1962. All my motorized vehicles ran better, ran faster, got better mileage, and lasted longer than other vehicles of the same genre.

I used to break in my snowmobiles and my '62 Impala Supersport convertible in the following manner: Up 10 MPH for a mile, Down 5 MPH for a mile, then repeat until I couldn't go any faster. When stopping I would let the engine cool down and then shut off. Restart about an hour later warm up, then repeat cycle. Based on engine size and body type my snowmobiles outran el tigre artic cats. My 327/350Hp Chev was faster than other 327s in town and lasted for over 200,000 miles (running great and no oil burning). Just changed the oil when required. Other posters may have differing opinions but this has worked for me and my friends very well over the years. Thermal expansion and contraction, along with oil changes, seems to be the difference.

I put a Jack antenna on our Foretravel coach, to replace an old Winegard. Sitting in our driveway we went from 9 channels to 17 channels and did NOT raise the antenna. Camping up north in the woods we were the only campers to get our Packer football game. (Even though we were on the low end (topographically) of the campground.) A number of other campers asked what it was, where we got it, and how much it cost. Jack replacement head, less than $50, our RV dealer.

I had a police officer tell me: "We will protect you----as soon as we get there." They do an admirable job but they cannot be everywhere all the time. You must be aware at all times of the situation around you and do whatever is necessary to minimize your risks. Any type of protection is better than none at all. As someone once said: "A nice peaceful dove is an easier meal than a hawk." or something to that effect.

I made a light bar, with LED lights, in such a way that it will mount on our Geo Tracker OR our Ford Explorer Sport Trac truck. Wiring for each was accomplished by using three wire heavy duty extension cords with flat four connectors on each end and on the short wiring on the light bar. The wiring is mounted permanently by running it thru the undercarriage of each vehicle. The Blue Ox tow bar has a short wiring harness that has the converter box, the seven pin male connector, and a flat four connector. Ground wires were run where necessary. The system works flawlessly and I can transfer the light bar easily from one vehicle to another and also use it on my utility trailer if necessary.